The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-08-13

And because of its opposition to the
things that are eternal, it must some
day give way to them. Consequently,
if we believe certain things, and while
we believe them, we get discouraged,
and in the discouragements the sup
posed truth is proved to be error, most
certainly will the disheartenings in
crease.
This is the greatest trouble of the so
called Evangelical church of our time.
1t has maintained the verbal inspiration
of the Bible, and the long since exploded
notion of the fall Of the race in Adam.
1t has been discovered by its own lead
ers that such teaching as this is error
that the doctrine is false. And be-
cause doctrine of growth is every
where taking the place of miraculous
conversions, many of those people who
were holding the error, are discouraged
at the outlook for the Christian cause.
and cry that the world is getting deeper
and deeper into sin, and is crucifying the
Lord anew. May God relieve their hearts
and give them such baptism as shall
wash away their error and bigotry, and
bring them into the light which is 1.-THE
dawning of new day."
We need then to have convictions Of
truth. The religious life cannot be
increased except as there is an increase
in the positiveness of our convictions Of
religious truth. Is it not true that
strong convictions help us in our time
of need When you are beside the
grave of your dearest earthly friend,
will not conviction of immor atty,
firmly fixed in your heart, be source
of comfort and consolation ? If in your
thought, "death ends ALL" and the last
look upon your friends face be that
one you take before the earth shuts it
QUITS not your feeling different than
when you believe in meeting beyond
death in happy homer
When we look upon the evil about
us, and see its euormity, does not our
conviction of God, as our Father, who
must bring good out of evil, give US
hope and strength as we labor against
temptation, and feel that God is help
ing us to do our part to bring about his
great purpose and his glorious result of
triumph of good
Yes, my friends, are we not in the
midst of our discouragements, encour-
aged and cheered by our firm conyic-
tions ? What trust, a conviction, is
that woman who could say, 81 do not
care if men forget, there is one who will
remember all 1 do, and he will give me
the true reward" Yes, when circum-
stances, and men and women discour-
age US, then it is that our firm convic-
ti0ns of religious truth will be the power
by which we shall be helped to over
come our discouragements in the relig-
ious life. But this is not all. A con-
viction of religious truth will do very
much for US, though doubt if it will
fully remove or overcome the discour-
agements. There must needs be-
III. A rigid application Of these con-
victions to life. Christian belief is of
little value in itself. It's glory appears
when it is applied to human life, for
Christianity is destined to establish in
us holy character. So our intellectual
convictions will find their glory only in
being applied to our daily experiences.
The engineer has his plans in intel
tectual form. And it is only when they
have been applied that their greatness
and wonderfulness appears. 1t is the
same with the surgeon and scientist to
whom we have referred. Now, in our
religious life we ought to do likewise.
But do we 7 We are convinced that the
Bible contains divine truth. We be-
lieve it contains revelation from God
to mankind. We believe it contains
instruction in those things which tend
to better life in us. We know that
on its pages are the records of some of
the most spiritual lives ever lived on
earth. In it we can find the Golden
Rule and innumerable moral precepts
and principles. Such convictions as
these are ours. But are they of real
value to us? Do we apply these con-
victions concerning the Bible, and make
that book to us the book of books
Has the conviction taken such hold
upon our mind that it reaches out into
our practical life !? We ought to take
the Bible, if what we have spoken of
be our thought about it, and make that
volume our constant companion and
unfailing guide.
We believe God is immanent in nat
ure and in man. We say "God is every
where" and that ne is never far
from us, but always with US. The
Psalmist says, "If 1 ascend up into
heaven, thou art there; if l make my
bed in sheol, behold, thou art there. If
l take the wings OF the morning and
dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
even there shall thy hand lead me, and
thy right-hand shall hold me-" And
you and l, when we read those words
accept them as truth, without hesita-
ton.